Bottle labelling machines



Nov. 22, 1955 2. E. LUCAS 2,724,329

BOTTLE LABELLING MACHINES Filed Oct. 10, 1951 2 Sheets-Shes: l

INVENTOR.

\ BY y/JMA Nov. 22, 1955 2. E. LUCAS BOTTLE LABELLING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Shee1 2 Filed Oct. 10 1951 INVENTOR.

United States j Patent Oflfice 2,724,329 Patented Nov. 22, 1955 This invention relates to new and useful improvements in apparatus for applying ceramic labels to glass bottles, and it is among the objects thereofto provide such apparatus with means for superimposing a ceramic color over another ceramic color previously applied to glass bottles and maintain perfect register of the superimposed colors to form a multiple color label.

In duplicate color machines of the automatic type it is common practice to employ a registering lug on the bottle such as was originally disclosed in Westlake Patent No. 1,116,523, granted in 1914. By employing a recess of the shape of a lug in thechuck that grips the bottles, the bottles will always be in the right position when brought in 'contact withthe color screen. The present invention employs such a lug on a bottle without a gripping chuck in semi-automatic machinery wherein the bottles are fed byhand and removed by hand after color application.

, The invention has among its objects the provisions of a friction drive for rotating the bottle until the registering lugs engage a stop and means for automatically disengaging the stop when the bottle is revolved underneath the color screen, such means being coordinated automatically through a cam mechanism.

. The invention will become more apparent from .a consideration of the accompanying drawing, constituting apart hereof, in which like reference characters designate like parts, and in which- Fig. 1 is a top plan view diagrammatically illustrating a rotatable support for a glass bottle having a friction drive and a movable stop for registering a bottle embodying the principles of this invention;

Fig. 2 a side elevational view of a portionof a machine for applying ceramic color labels to a glass bottle showing the bottle out of contact with the color screen; i Fig. 3 a similar view with the bottle contacting the screen in the application of a ceramic color to the bottle;

3 Fig.4 a front elevational view illustrating the portion of the machine of Figs. 2 and 3; a t

i. Fig. 5 a front elevational view of a bottle; and

Fig. 6 a bottom plan view thereof.

With reference to the several figures of the numeral l generally designates a machine base in which is journalled a cam shaft 1a having a series of cams 2,

3 and 4. Cam 2 operates follower 5 mounted on lever 5d that actuates a rocker shaft 14 on which is mounted a crank .15 that is connected by a link 16 to a lever 17 having links 18 and 19 connected to the machine body 20 by an arcuate guide 20a and the bottle center lever 21. By adjusting link 18 on guide 20a, the stroke of the center lever is varied to accommodate different lengths of bottles.

Cams 3 and 4 actuate pneumatic valves 8 and 9 controlling the application of fluid pressure in lines 11 and 12 connected to a pneumatic actuator and motor respectively as will be hereinafter described.

Lover 21 is supported on an arm 22 by a pivotal connection at 23 and is provided with a center 24 that enters into the mouth or finish 25 of a bottle 26. Arm 22 is j v r drawings, the

provided with an adjustable bracket 27 that acts as a support for the neck of the bottle 26 when the center 24 is out of engagement with the bottle finish.

A journal bearing 28 is mounted on a movable suppo 28a that is carried by a lever 28b pivoted on a block 286 at 28d. Lever 28b has a short arm 28e that is actuated by cam follower 6 engaging cam 6a to raise and lower the bottle support. A shaft 29 having a flanged end 30 recessed at 31, Fig. 1, for receiving the base of the bottle 26 is journaled in bearing 28. The other end of the shaft 29 is provided with a cylinder 32 for engagement with a bar 33 connected to the color screen 34, the bar 33 making contact with cylinder 32 to revolve the same when the bottle is raised in contact with screen 34. A sheave wheel or pulley 35 is mounted to rotate shaft 29 and is driven by a bell 36 connected to sheave wheel 37 that is driven by a pneumatic motor 38, the motor being connected to the fluid pressure line 12 of Fig. 2.

As is more clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the bottle 26 is provided with a registering lug 26a that is formed integrally with the bottle in the molding operation. As shown in Fig. l, the lug 26a isengaged by a stop 39 that is more clearly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The stop 39 is a bell crank lever pivoted at 40 to a piston 41 of a pneumatic actuator 42 that is connected to line 11, Fig. 4 of the drawings. Piston 41 is biased by a coil spring 43 which is adjustable by a turn-buckle .44 to a degree of tension suflicient to hold the lug 26:: without overburdening the pneumatic actuator 42 when the cam operates the valve 8 to release the stop 39 when the bottle 26 is rotated.

The color screen and squeegee mount for extruding the color through the screen is of conventional form, squeegees 45 and a shoulder squeegee 46, Fig. 2, being mounted on an arm 47 which is movable vertically to bring the squeegees in contact with the screen at the time the bottle 26 is raised to contact the screen as shown in Fig. 3. The screen and squeegees are provided with wheels 48 and 49 that engage tracks 50 and 51, respectively, when subjected to transverse movement through the operating links 52 and 53. i a

In conventional practice semi-automatic labelling machines of the type herein shown effect rotating of the bot-' tle while passing under the color screen through a pulley having a cable in contact therewith with the ends of the cable attached to the color screen, so that the bottle is revolved as the screen passes thereover in a direction transverselyof the longitudinal axis of the bottle. In ac cordance with the present invention the bottle is rotated independently of the movement of the screen through the fluid motor 38 to eflect registration of the lug 2661 with the stop 39, and when such registrationis effected the bottle is revolved by contact of the bar 33 with the cylinder 32, as will be hereinafter more fully explained. An antifriction mounting consisting of a pair of supporting rollers 54 supported on a bracket 55 beneath the bottle 26 permits the bottle to revolve freely when in contact with the color screen. For this purpose the center 24 is likewise mounted to revolve in the lever 21. t

The operation of the above described color application machine is briefly as follows.

The operator places a bottle in the machine by inserting it in the recess 31 of the flange 30 with the neck of the bottle resting on the bracket 27. When the machine is placed in operation lever 21 will place the center 24 into the mouth or finish 25 of the bottle, raising it outof contact with the bracket 27. The bottle is thus free to revolve in its support. When the bottle is thus engaged, the drive motor 38, Fig. 1, is energized by rotation of the cam mechanism shown in Figs. 2 and 4 and revolves shaft 29 which rotates the bottle 26 until the integral bottle lug 26a engages the stop 39 in the manner shown in Fig. 4.

The cam 6a acting upon follower 6 displaces lever 28a in a downward direction to raise the bottle support 28a, causing the bottle to raise, making contact with the screen. The air cylinder 42 is then connected with its source of fluid pressure by valve 8 to cause stop 39 to disengage the lug 26a of the bottle and the pneumatic motor 38 is simultaneously de-energized by the valve 9. The screens are then subjected to lateral movement from left to right, as viewed in Figure 4, by the operating links 52'and 53 that are connected to the machine drive (not shown), and the bottle 26 rotates at the same linear speed as the surface of the color screen through the bar 33 revolving the cylinder 32. The squee'gees 45 and 46 simultaneously cause the ceramic color or slip, which is a highly viscous fluid, to become extruded through the stencil of the screen to apply the color to the body and shoulder of the bottle; The center 24 opens and the bottle drops away from the screen and center 24 is returned to the position shown in Figure 2. The operator lifts out the bottle and replaces it with another which is subjected to the same color application on the return stroke of the screen sup ports.

As previously stated, the arrangement and operation of the screen and squeegee and their relation to the bottle and bottle support are conventional practice where it is not necessary to apply dual colors to the bottle and where no registering lugs, like the lug 26a, are employed or needed. The present invention modifies the conventional apparatus to the extent of the use of the friction drive through belt 36 and the pneumatic motor 38 and by the use of the pneumatically actuated stop 39 that engages the registering lug 26a. Because of the need for revolving the bottle '26 independently of movement of the color screen to effect registering of the lug 26a before the bottle contacts the screen, it is necessary to supply other means for driving the bottle to revolve it at the same linear speed as the screen than was heretofore employed, and for this purpose the bar 33 and cylinder 32 are supplied instead of the looped cable connection attached to the screen that was previously employed. The provision of suitable cam mechanism to coordinate the function of the fluid motor 38 and the pneumatic actuator 42 are additional changes required to adapt the slide screen practice to dual color application.

' It is evident from the foregoing description of the invention that the apparatus therein disclosed will efiiciently apply dual color ceramic labels to bottles and the like with perfect registration of the colors to produce a printed label thereon.

It is to be noted that the initial color applied to a bottle is dried before the bottle is again placed through the machine for the second, third, or even more colors, and it is for this reason that the registering lug must be employed.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications may be made in the details of construction without departing from the principles herein set forth.

I claim:

1. In a machine for applying multiple color labels to glass bottles and the like, having a registering lug on the outer face of the bottle, a rotatable support for the bottles, a stop for engaging the lug on the bottle, a fluid drive including a sheave wheel on said rotatable bottle support and a pneumatic motor and belt for driving said sheave Wheel for rotating said bottle support to effect engagement of the bottle lug with said stop, fluid means for effecting disengagement of said stop when the fluid drive is deenergized, a color screen superimposed above the bottle having an operating bar extending the length of the screen and said rotatable bottle support having a cylindrical body portion for contact with said operating bar when the bottle support is raised to subject the bottle to rotary movement independently of the fluid drive when the screen is subjected to lateral movement.

2. In a machine for applying multiple ceramic colors to bottles and the like, an antifriction support for mounting a bottle for rotary movement, a color screen to engage the face of the bottle, a squeegee cooperating with the screen for extruding color through the stencil of the screen on the surface of the bottle, the bottle having a lug to maintain registration of the screen with a specific area of the bottle when the bottle is removed and replaced in its support, a resilient stop for engaging the lug, a fluid drive for revolving said bottle including a sheave wheel on said rotary bottle support, a pneumatic motor and a belt for driving said sheave wheel, and a fluid actuator for operating the lug stop, means controlling the application of the pressure fluid to the drive and stop actuating mechanism for rotating the bottle to effect engagement of the bottle lug with the stop and to disengage-the stop when the bottle is raised into engagement with the surface of the screen, and means attached to and movable with the color screen for contacting the bottle support to revolve the bottle at the same linear speed as the screen ,While the color is being applied.

3. Apparatus as set forth in the next preceding claim characterized by a lug stop mechanism comprisinga bell crank lever pivotally connected to an actuating piston and having a finger for engaging the lug of the bottle, said bell crank lever being biased by a spring to effect yielding contact of the stop with the bottle lug, and adjustable means for said lever to regulate the degree of tension on said spring.

4. In a machine for applying multiple color labels to glass bottles and the like, having a registering portion on the outerface of the bottle, a rotatable support for the bottles, a stop for engaging the registering portion on the bottle, a fluid drive for rotating said bottle to effect engagement of the bottle registering portion with said stop comprising a sheave wheel on said rotatable bottle support and a pneumatic motor with a belt drive for said sheave wheel, cam means for deenergizing the fluid drive when the bottle registering portion is engaged by the stop,

a fluid actuator for effecting disengagement of said stop when the fluid drive is deenergized, cam means for energizing said fluid actuator, 21 color screen superimposedabove the bottle having an operating bar extending the length of the screen and-below said screen, and said bottle support having a cylindrical body portion contacting said operating bar to subject the bottle to rotary movement independently of the fluid drive when the screen is subjected to lateral movement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,060,385 Shurley et al Nov. 10, 1936 2,157,638 Soubier May 9, 1939 2,231,535 Jackson et al. Feb. 11, 1941 2,278,570 Shurley Apr. 7, 1942 2,307,404 Heyne Ian. 5, 1943 

